Driving Lesson
by frenetic-core
Summary: While teaching Korra how to drive, Asami gets her signals crossed. One shot.


Driving was supposed to be relaxing. The seat belt slung across her chest was a blessing and a curse; without it, she would've been launched through the wind screen a long time ago, but right now, it pressed hard into her sternum as Korra's foot mashed the break, jolting the both of them forward every twenty feet. Asami's fingers dug deeper into the armrests of the passenger's seat.

The girl behind the wheel flashed her a slight smile. "I think I'm getting the hang of this!" She looked so sure and happy that Asami didn't have the heart to contradict her.

Asami almost forced a returning smile, but at that moment, Korra pressed on the brakes with more force than usual, causing both women to slam forward into the safety belts. Braking so hard and so suddenly made the wheels of the satomobile lock up and the vehicle skidded to the left. The engine sputtered and stalled, leaving the two stuck in the middle of the street. A green Cabbage Corp truck that had been trying to pass them swerved around them in time, for which the women were rewarded with angry honks and a smattering of curse words.

Asami exchanged a look of relief with her friend. The last thing either of them needed to deal with right now was the press snapping a picture of the Avatar and the CEO of Future Industries stumbling away from a car wreck. Asami sagged back against the plush leather seat and exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. Even her hands went slack on the armrests. Suddenly she was thankful she'd worn her gloves so Korra wouldn't be able to see her knuckles regaining their color.

"That was close. Try not to press down on the brake so hard next time. That's what made the car slide." Asami was proud of how well she kept the tremor of fear out of her voice.

"Okay. Let me try again," Korra said. "I think I can get it up to fifty this time." She reached down for the key still in the ignition.

"No!" Asami made a grab for the key and instead found her gloved hand on Korra's.

Asami glanced up and saw wide blue eyes staring at her. She couldn't be sure, but it looked as though Korra's cheeks were tinged pink. Asami's heart thundered against her chest and she felt the dull burn of adrenaline in her veins, unable to tell if the response was because of the sudden contact (and the fact that Korra hadn't recoiled yet) or if she was really that afraid of Korra driving faster. _Probably both_. Asami let go of her friend's warm hand and leaned back in her seat.

"So I'm that bad, huh?" Korra turned away, frowning, looking out at the empty road stretched in front of them. The hand Asami had touched drifted back to the steering wheel, but Korra's fingers never fully curled around it.

Asami frowned, too, as a wave of guilt slammed into her chest harder than the seatbelt had. She sighed, relaxed her muscles, smiled, and lightly patted Korra on the shoulder. The girl in the driver's seat glanced down at the gentle gesture, then met Asami's gaze. Korra didn't look too hurt by the outburst and a genuine smile stretched across Asami's face. "No, no, it's not that," Asami began. Korra arched an eyebrow. "It's just that I have a better idea. Why don't we try parking for a while?"

Korra blinked and all trace of hurt was replaced with confusion and what Asami though was a touch of disappointment. "What? Like, just park on the side of the road and talk?"

Asami shook her head, her black, glossy curls shifting at the movement. "No, I mean I'll teach you how to park!" She bit her lip so she wouldn't tack on, "So you don't end up wrapping another car around a light post."

Korra's eyebrows shot up and the grin returned to her face. "Okay!" She started the car and Asami felt her shoulders tense immediately.

It wasn't fair. Korra was _trying_, she was enthusiastic, and it was another precious moment Asami got to spend with just her. No Mako. No Bolin. Just Korra. Only Korra. Alone with Korra. Asami shook her head, remembering where they were. "Why don't we try just up here?" She pointed farther up the road, where a mass of spirit vines spilled out into the road. "You can try and parallel park behind those vines."

"I think you mean I _will_ parallel park behind those spirit vines!" Korra grinned at her, then stepped on the gas and they lurched forward. Asami was grateful they were close enough so Korra didn't have to shift gears to go faster.

"This is nice," Asami said, daring to lean back into her seat as the satomobile sailed along the street at a comfortable, safe fifteen miles an hour.

Korra nodded. "Yeah, it is. I don't really get to hang out with you too much. And when I do, Mako and Bolin are usually around. We really need more girlfriend time like this."

She knew better. Korra made it clear earlier in the week that when she said, "girlfriend," she either meant best-friend-who-is-a-girl or Naga. But all the same, Asami had to bite the inside of her cheek to ward off the blush threatening to color her face.

They were almost upon the vines now, so Korra slammed on the brakes again. Asami exhaled through clenched teeth as the satomobile screeched to a halt in front of the curled, green mass of vegetation. Korra looked to her, for once remaining silent for instructions.

Asami ran a hand through her hair, smoothing down her black locks. "Okay, pretend these vines are another satomobile," Asami gestured to the tangle of green. "See that tiny sprig sticking out there? Pretend that's the other car's door handle. You'll want to pull up close to it and line up this side mirror with the handle."

Korra did exactly as Asami instructed without any issues, which made both of them share a wide grin. "What next, Sifu Sato?"

Asami laughed, then began to go through the motions of explaining how to parallel park. Korra's eyes watched her as she mimed turning the wheel and more than once thought that those blue eyes flickered to her painted lips. Perhaps that was wishful thinking on her part. The blush she'd been fighting before spread across her cheekbones under such a steady gaze. "Korra?"

Korra blinked. "Huh?"

Asami scanned her face. Had her friend even been listening? "Are you ready to try? Or should I go over that again?"

This time, there was a definite reddening of Korra's face. She snapped her head away from Asami and gripped the wheel. "Er, go over it one more time. I got distracted."

Asami did her best not to over analyze those words and focused on once again describing the approach to parking. After a minute, Korra said she felt like she could try it and began to slowly turn the wheel.

At first, Asami was watching to make sure Korra turned the wheel correctly, but that meant paying attention to the hands that gripped the wheel in such a way that made the taut muscles in the brown forearms flex. And those led to Korra's biceps and strong shoulders and the long, wavy, brown hair that brushed the headrest and the brilliant blue eyes that darted from the side mirrors and the slight pout of Korra's pink lips, puckering for a—

Korra's forehead bumped the steering wheel, her face bright red. "I'm not straight, am I?"

Asami's mouth opens with an audible pop. "_What_?"

Korra's eyes flickered to her face, then back down to stare through the gap in the steering wheel. "What do you think?" She tensed her shoulders, like she was waiting for a harsh response.

A jolt ran through Asami's body. "W-what do you mean, what do I think? What would I know about…about…" Asami struggled to say it. She knew she was attracted to both men and women, but she'd never told anyone about it.

At Asami's words, Korra looked up. Her eyebrows knitted together and she pursed her lips. "Asami, you're the expert here."

Asami looked everywhere but at the woman in the driver's seat. "I'd hardly call myself an…an expert."

"Oh come on, now you're being modest," Korra said, leaning across the space between them and coming up just short of Asami, her seat belt still firmly buckling her in place. "You've got this all figured out. You've been giving me advice all day."

Asami's heart fluttered as she tried to recall where she'd slipped up. She'd never once said anything about sexuality, but she'd been flirty, not that Korra had noticed. Or had she? Asami winced. Did she flip her hair too much? Had she batted her eyes too intensely? Was she too forward in her light touches? None of these were voiced to Korra. Instead, Asami asked, "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me if I'm straight or not." Korra's blue eyes blazed. Her mouth was set in such a firm, determined line. She was so close to Asami's own face.

"Korra, that's something you have to figure out yourself," Asami breathed. This couldn't really be happening right here, right now.

Korra's brows furrowed. "Oh. Okay." She sighed, then turned a little in her seat so she was angled more towards Asami. Her gaze dropped and her fingers fiddled with the buckle on the safety belt. It unfastened and Korra reached out and braced her right hand on the armrest of Asami's seat. She started to shift out of her seat, leaning even closer to Asami. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

Asami unbuckled too. The click made Korra meet her gaze. They were close enough to share air. Asami closed the distance between them. Her left hand gripped Korra's right shoulder as she pressed her lips to the soft ones hovering right in front of her. For three heart pounding seconds, it was perfect.

Then, Korra's jaw muscles tensed. Asami felt a chill creep into her veins. She pulled away quickly, letting her hand drop, and all but pressed herself against her side of the car. Korra's blue eyes were wider than Asami had ever seen and her mouth was open. "Asami...what...?"

Panic bloomed in the pit of her stomach. "I'm so sorry! I completely misread that." She tried to hide her face behind her hands.

"I was talking about parking," Korra whispered. "I don't think I parked straight. I was gonna lean over and check to see where the curb was."

"Of course you were." Asami suddenly wished they had gotten into a wreck, reporters and headlines be damned. Anything would be preferable to this awkward hell of her own creation. "I'm an idiot. I thought you were asking about…and I just…because I…I'm so sorry."

Korra tugged at Asami's hands. "Hey, look at me."

Asami let her friend pull her hands away and even chanced a glance up. A bright, red blush graced Korra's cheeks but she was also smiling. "Korra, I—"

"Please don't apologize again." Her hands framed Asami's face and she leaned in close enough for their noses to brush. "And I'm definitely not _straight_ either." Korra's lips pressed against hers once more.


End file.
